Air-conditioning register

ABSTRACT

An air-conditioning register includes a retainer, fins, a coupling plate, and a drive mechanism. The fins are tiltably supported by the retainer with fin pivots. Each fin has a coupling pin at a position displaced from the fin pivot. The coupling plate couples the fins together at the coupling pins. The drive mechanism changes the position of the coupling plate in the flowing direction. The coupling pins are engaged with cam grooves provided in the coupling plate. Each cam groove includes a parallel blow zone and at least one non-parallel blow zone. The drive mechanism includes an allowing portion. When operation is executed to tilt the fins about the fin pivots, the allowing portion allows the coupling plate to move in an arrangement direction of the fins, while maintaining the coupling pins in the current zones in the cam grooves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an air-conditioning register that blowsout air-conditioning air, which is delivered from an air conditioner,through the outlet of an airflow passage.

Vehicles have air-conditioning registers, which are configured to changethe direction in which air-conditioning air from the air duct of the airconditioner is blown into the passenger compartment. One example of suchan air-conditioning register includes fins and a retainer having anairflow passage, through which air-conditioning air flows. The fins arearranged in the airflow passage and tiltably supported by the retainerwith fin pivots.

Each fin has a coupling pin at a position displaced from the fin pivot.The fins are arranged parallel with each other, and the coupling pinsare coupled to each other by a coupling link. This allows all the finsto be tilted while being arranged parallel with each other.Air-conditioning air is blown out from the outlet such that theair-conditioning air flows along the adjacent fins and the like, and inparallel streams through all the spaces in between and the like. Theblow mode in which the air-conditioning air is blown out in this manneris referred to as a parallel blow mode.

In recent years, a type of air-conditioning register has been proposedthat is capable of blowing out air-conditioning air from the outlet inblow modes other than the parallel blow mode (non-parallel blow modes).For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-293133discloses an air-conditioning register that implements a diffusion blowmode and a concentration blow mode as non-parallel blow modes.

In the diffusion blow mode, adjacent fins are tilted such that thespaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at thedownstream end. In this case, the air-conditioning air flows along theadjacent fins and the like through spaces in between to be diffused to awider area toward the downstream end. A weaker flow of air-conditioningair is blown onto a wider area of the body of an occupant than in a casein which the parallel blow mode is selected.

In the concentration blow mode, adjacent fins are tilted such that thespaces in between at the upstream end are wider than those at thedownstream end. In this case, the air-conditioning air flows alongadjacent fins and the like through spaces in between to be converged toreach areas that are narrowed down toward the downstream end. A strongerflow of air-conditioning air is blown onto a narrower area of the bodyof an occupant than in a case in which the parallel blow mode isselected.

To implement non-parallel blow modes, the configuration of thepublication employs a guide link in addition to the coupling link. Thecoupling link has support holes, the number of which is equal to that ofthe fins, and the guide link has guide holes, the number of which isequal to that of the fins. A coupling pin associated with one of thefins is received by the intersecting parts of one of the support holesand the corresponding guide hole.

When the guide link is moved along the flow of air-conditioning air, therelative positions of the guide link and the coupling link are changed.This shifts the positions of the intersecting parts of the support holesand the guide holes to tilt the fins, so that the blow mode is switchedbetween the parallel blow mode and the diffusion blow mode or betweenthe parallel blow mode and the concentration blow mode.

Further, the guide link and the coupling link are lifted or lowered, sothat the fins are tilted while being maintained parallel. That is, whenthe parallel blow mode is selected, the direction of the parallelstreams of the air-conditioning air is changed.

When selecting the diffusion blow mode, the passenger may desire tochange the part onto which the diffused air-conditioning air is blown.Also, when selecting the concentration blow mode, the passenger maydesire to change the part onto which the converged air-conditioning airis blown.

However, the air-conditioning register of Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication No. 2002-293133, which tilts the fins by changing thepositions of the intersecting parts of the support holes and the guideholes, has a limitation in increasing the patterns of tilting of thefins and thus cannot meet the above described needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide anair-conditioning register that is capable of changing the direction ofair-conditioning air not only in the parallel blow mode, but also in thenon-parallel blow modes.

To achieve the foregoing objective and in accordance with one aspect ofthe present invention, an air-conditioning register that includes aretainer, a plurality of fins, a coupling plate, and a drive mechanismis provided. An airflow passage is provided in the retainer. The airflowpassage has an outlet at a downstream end in a flowing direction ofair-conditioning air. The fins are arranged in the airflow passage andtiltably supported by the retainer with fin pivots. Each fin has acoupling pin at a position displaced from the fin pivot. The couplingplate couples the fins together at the coupling pins. The drivemechanism changes a position of the coupling plate in the flowingdirection. The coupling pins, which are respectively associated with thefins, are engaged with cam grooves provided in the coupling plate, sothat all the fins are coupled to the coupling plate. Each cam grooveincludes a parallel blow zone and at least one non-parallel blow zone.In the parallel blow zone, adjacent fins are arranged to be parallelwith each other. In the non-parallel blow zone, adjacent fins are in atleast one of a state in which a space in between is narrower at anupstream end than at a downstream end and a state in which the space iswider at the upstream end than at the downstream end. The drivemechanism includes an allowing portion. When operation is executed totilt the fins about the fin pivots, the allowing portion allows thecoupling plate to move in an arrangement direction of the fins, whilemaintaining the coupling pins in the current zones in the cam grooves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air-conditioning register accordingto a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the air-conditioning register of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the coupling plate and the guide plateaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4 a-4 a of FIG. 1,illustrating a parallel blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4 b-4 b of FIG. 1,illustrating the parallel blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in theparallel blow mode.

FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in theparallel blow mode.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A,illustrating a diffusion blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B,illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in thediffusion blow mode.

FIG. 7B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in thediffusion blow mode.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A,illustrating a concentration blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B,illustrating the concentration blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in theconcentration blow mode.

FIG. 9B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in theconcentration blow mode.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an air-conditioning register accordingto a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the air-conditioning register shown in FIG.10.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing some of the componentsof the air-conditioning register of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing some of the componentsof the air-conditioning register of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14-14 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 15-15 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the coupling plate and the guide plateaccording to the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 17-17 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 18A is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG.15, illustrating the parallel blow mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 18B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG.17, illustrating the parallel blow mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 19A is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG.15, illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 19B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG.17, illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 20A is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG.15, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed inthe diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 20B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG.17, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed inthe diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 21 is a partial side view of an air-conditioning register accordingto a third embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a partial bottom view of the air-conditioning register of thethird embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a side view of the coupling plate and the guide plate of thethird embodiment.

FIG. 24A is a cross-sectional side view extracting and illustrating thecoupling plate and the guide plate in the parallel blow mode of thethird embodiment.

FIG. 24B is a cross-sectional side view extracting and illustrating thefins in the parallel blow mode of the third embodiment.

FIG. 25A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in theparallel blow mode.

FIG. 25B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in theparallel blow mode.

FIG. 26A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in theparallel blow mode.

FIG. 26B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in theparallel blow mode.

FIG. 27A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A,illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the third embodiment.

FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B,illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the third embodiment.

FIG. 28A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in thediffusion blow mode.

FIG. 28B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in thediffusion blow mode.

FIG. 29A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in thediffusion blow mode.

FIG. 29B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B,illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in thediffusion blow mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

An air-conditioning register according to a first embodiment will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9B.

The air-conditioning register is designed to be installed in a vehicle.

In the following description, the direction in which the vehicleadvances (moves forward) will be referred to as the front, and thereverse direction will be referred to as the rear. The height directionof the vehicle will be referred to as an up-down direction of thevehicle. The width direction (the left-right direction) of the vehicleis defined with reference to the state in which the vehicle is viewedfrom the rear.

In the passenger compartment, an instrument panel is located in front ofthe front seats of the vehicle (the driver's seat and the frontpassenger seat). The instrument panel incorporates air-conditioningregisters at the center and the sides with reference to the left-rightdirection (the vehicle width direction). The main function of theair-conditioning registers is to change the direction ofair-conditioning air that is delivered from the air conditioner anddischarged through the outlets.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each air-conditioning register includes aretainer 10, a downstream fin set, an operation knob 45, a couplingplate 51, and a drive mechanism DM. The structure of each componentconstituting the air-conditioning register will now be described.

<Retainer 10>

The retainer 10 is configured to connect the air duct (not shown) of theair conditioner to the opening (not shown) in the instrument panel andincludes a retainer body 11 and a bezel 25.

The interior space of the retainer 10 constitutes a passage forair-conditioning air A1 (hereinafter, referred to as an airflow passage14, refer to FIG. 4B). With regard to the direction in which theair-conditioning air A1 flows, the side closer to the air conditioner isreferred to as “upstream,” or “upstream side,” and the side farther fromthe air conditioner is referred to as “downstream,” or “downstreamside.”

The retainer body 11 is substantially shaped as a rectangular tube withan open upstream end and an open downstream end. The airflow passage 14is surrounded by four walls of the retainer body 11. The four wallsinclude side walls 15, 16, an upper wall 17, and a lower wall 18. Theside walls 15, 16 are arranged to be parallel with each other andopposed to each other in the left-right direction (the vehicle widthdirection). The upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 are arranged to beparallel with each other and opposed to each other in the up-downdirection. The upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 correspond to “twoopposed walls” in the claims.

The lower wall 18 has a shaft portion 19 projecting from a downstreamsection at the center in the left-right direction (the vehicle widthdirection). The lower wall 18 also has two guide pins 21 projectingdownward. The guide pins 21 are spaced rightward from the shaft portion19 and spaced apart from each other in the flowing direction of theair-conditioning air A1.

The right side wall 16 has a guide pin 22 projecting rightward at thecenter in the up-down direction and substantially at the center in theflowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1 (FIG. 4A).

The bezel 25 constitutes the most downstream part of the retainer 10 andis coupled to the downstream end of the retainer body 11. The bezel 25has an outlet 26 at the downstream end of the airflow passage 14. Theair-conditioning air A1 is blown out through the outlet 26. The surfaceon the downstream side of the bezel 25 about the outlet 26 constitutes adecorative surface of the air-conditioning register.

The outlet 26 includes a pair of short side portions 27 and a pair oflong side portions 28, which is slightly longer than the short sideportions 27. The short side portions 27 are parallel with and spacedapart from each other and extend in the up-down direction. The long sideportions 28 are parallel with and spaced apart from each other andextend in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction), whichis perpendicular to the short side portions 27. The thus structuredoutlet 26 has an elongated rectangular shape that is slightly longer inthe left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) than in theup-down direction.

The bezel 25 has a window 29, which has a horizontally elongatedrectangular shape and is spaced apart downward from the outlet 26.

The retainer body 11 has an odd number (three) of sets of bearingportions 31 between the bezel 25 and each of the left and right sidewalls 15, 16. The bearing portions 31 in each of the side walls 15, 16are spaced apart in the up-down direction. The bearing portions 31 aresubstantially evenly spaced apart from each other.

<Downstream Fin Set>

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4B, the downstream fin set includes an oddnumber (three) of fins having the same structure. Each fin is used tochange the angle α of the flowing direction of the air-conditioning airA1 blown out from the outlet 26 relative to the short side portions 27.To distinguish the three fins, the one at the center in the direction ofarrangement (the up-down direction) will be referred to as a fin 35, andthe fins above and below the fin 35 will be referred to as fins 36. Thefins 35, 36 are mainly formed by plate-shaped members, which extend inthe left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) along the longside portions 28. The fins 35, 36 are spaced apart from each other inthe direction of the thickness of the plate-shaped members.

Each of the fins 35, 36 has fin pivots 41 in the downstream section. Thefin pivots 41 extend along the long side portions 28 in the left-rightdirection (the vehicle width direction). The fin pivots 41, which arerespectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are supported by the sidewalls 15, 16 via the bearing portions 31.

The fin pivots 41, which are respectively associated with the fins 35,36, are exposed to the right from the right side wall 16. Each fin pivot41 has an arm 42 at the part exposed from the side wall 16. Each arm 42extends upstream from the corresponding fin pivot 41 and has a columnarcoupling pin 43 at the distal end. In other words, the fins 35, 36 eachhave the coupling pin 43 at the position displaced from thecorresponding fin pivot 41.

<Operation Knob 45>

The operation knob 45 is fitted to the fin 35 at the center in thearrangement direction (the up-down direction). The operation knob 45 ismanipulated by an occupant to change the direction of theair-conditioning air A1 blown out from the outlet 26. When upward ordownward force is applied to the operation knob 45, the center fin 35 istilted about the fin pivots 41.

<Coupling Plate 51>

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the coupling plate 51 is configured to coupleall the fins 35, 36 together via the coupling pins 43. The couplingplate 51 is slightly spaced rightward from the right side wall 16.

The coupling plate 51 has cam grooves the number of which is equal tothe number of the fins 35, 36 (three). The cam grooves are arranged inthe up-down direction. To distinguish the three cam grooves, the one atthe center in the direction of arrangement (the up-down direction) willbe referred to as a cam groove 52, and the cam grooves above and belowthe cam groove 52 will be referred to as cam grooves 53. The couplingpin 43 of the fin 35 is engaged with cam groove 52, and the couplingpins 43 of the fins 36 are engaged with the cam grooves 53, so that allthe fins 35, 36 are coupled to the coupling plate 51.

The cam grooves 52, 53 extend in a slightly greater width than thediameter of the coupling pins 43. The cam groove 52 extends linearly inthe flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The cam grooves 53are formed to be symmetrical with respect to the center cam groove 52.

The cam grooves 52, 53 each have a parallel blow zone Z1 and at leastone non-parallel blow zone. In the first embodiment, the non-parallelblow zones include a diffusion blow zone Z2 and a concentration blowzone Z3.

The parallel blow zones Z1 are configured to arrange the adjacent fins35, 36 to be parallel with each other. The parallel arrangement not onlyincludes a strictly parallel arrangement, but also a substantiallyparallel arrangement. The diffusion blow zones Z2 are configured toarrange the adjacent fins 35, 36 such that the spaces in between at theupstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. Theconcentration blow zones Z3 are configured to arrange the adjacent fins35, 36 such that the spaces in between at the upstream end are widerthan those at the downstream end.

The parallel blow zones Z1 are middle sections of the cam grooves 52, 53with respect to the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1.The diffusion blow zones Z2 are set in the cam grooves 52, 53 on theupstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1. The concentration blowzones Z3 are set in the cam grooves 52, 53 on the downstream side of theparallel blow zones Z1.

<Drive Mechanism DM>

The drive mechanism DM is provided to change the position of thecoupling plate 51 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning airA1. The coupling plate 51 has two guide holes 55, which extend in theup-down direction and are spaced apart in the up-down direction. Theguide holes 55 are slightly spaced apart toward the upstream end fromall the cam grooves 52, 53.

The drive mechanism DM includes an operating member 61 and a guide plate65. The operating member 61 is shaped as a disc and rotationallysupported by the shaft portion 19. Part of the operating member 61projects in the downward direction from the window 29 of the bezel 25.

The guide plate 65 includes a vertical guide plate portion 66 and ahorizontal guide plate portion 72. The vertical guide plate portion 66is laid on the coupling plate 51 in the thickness direction. In thefirst embodiment, the vertical guide plate portion 66 is arrangedbetween the right side wall 16 of the retainer 10 and the coupling plate51.

The vertical guide plate portion 66 has an elongated hole 67 in theupstream section substantially at the center in the up-down direction.The elongated hole 67 extends in the flowing direction of theair-conditioning air A1 and receives the guide pin 22, which projectsrightward from the right side wall 16. The elongated hole 67 and theguide pin 22 have a function to guide the guide plate 65 to move in theflowing direction. A member, which is a screw 68 in the firstembodiment, is threaded to the guide pin 22. The screw 68 restrictsrightward movement of the vertical guide plate portion 66, therebypreventing the vertical guide plate portion 66 from coming off the guidepin 22.

The vertical guide plate portion 66 has two guide projections 69 at thedownstream section. The guide projections 69 are spaced apart from eachother in the up-down direction and project rightward. The guideprojections 69 are respectively engaged with the guide holes 55 of thecoupling plate 51. Members, which are screws 71 in the first embodiment,are threaded to the guide projections 69. The screws 71 restrictrightward movement of the coupling plate 51, thereby preventing thecoupling plate 51 from coming off the guide projections 69.

The guide holes 55 of the coupling plate 51 and the guide projections 69of the vertical guide plate portion 66 constitute an allowing portion ofthe drive mechanism DM. When the occupant operates the operation knob 45to tilt the fins 35, 36 about the fin pivots 41, the allowing portionallows the coupling plate 51 to move in the up-down direction, which isthe arrangement direction of the fins 35, 36, while maintaining thecoupling pins 43 in the current zones in the cam grooves 52, 53.

The horizontal guide plate portion 72 is located directly below thelower wall 18 of the retainer 10 and laid on the lower wall 18. Thehorizontal guide plate portion 72 has elongated holes 73 at twopositions spaced apart from each other in the flowing direction of theair-conditioning air A1. The elongated holes 73 extend in the flowingdirection and receive the guide pins 21, which project downward from thelower wall 18. The elongated holes 73 and the guide pins 21 have afunction to guide the guide plate 65 to move in the flowing direction.Members, which are screws 74 in the first embodiment, are threaded tothe guide pins 21. The screws 74 restrict downward movement of thehorizontal guide plate portion 72, thereby preventing the horizontalguide plate portion 72 from coming off the guide pins 21. The horizontalguide plate portion 72 has a rack gear 75 on the left edge. The rackgear 75 has teeth arranged in the flowing direction.

A pinion gear 62 is coaxially provided on the operating member 61. Thepinion gear 62 rotates integrally with the operating member 61 andmeshes with the rack gear 75. The pinion gear 62 and the rack gear 75are used to convert rotation of the operating member 61 to linear motionand transmit it to the guide plate 65.

Operation of the first embodiment, which is configured as describedabove, will now be described.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the state of each component when theoperating member 61 is located at an intermediate position in thepivoting range (movable range). At this time, the coupling pins 43,which are respectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are located inthe parallel blow zones Z1 (see FIG. 3), which are set in theintermediate sections in the flow direction in the cam grooves 52, 53.

The fins 35, 36 are tiltable about the fin pivots 41. The inclination ofthe fin 35, which is at the center in the arrangement direction, isdetermined by the position of the coupling pin 43 in the straight centercam groove 52. The inclination of each of the fins 36 is determined bythe position of the coupling pin 43 in the corresponding cam groove 53.

In the fins 35, 36, each coupling pin 43 is located at the same heightas the corresponding fin pivot 41. The center fin 35 and the adjacentfins 36, which are above and below the center fin 35, are arranged to beparallel with the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18.

The upper and lower guide projections 69 are each located at the centerin the up-down direction of the corresponding guide hole 55. Each of theguide pins 21, 22 is located in the middle section in the flowingdirection of the corresponding one of the elongated holes 73, 67.

Thus, the air-conditioning air A1 that has flowed into the retainer 10flows through spaces between the adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like inparallel streams along the fins 35, 36 and the like and is blown outfrom the outlet 26 in the parallel blow mode. “The spaces between thefins 35 and 36 and the like” include not only the spaces between theadjacent fins 35 and 36, but also the space between the upper fin 36 andthe upper wall 17 and the space between the lower fin 36 and the lowerwall 18. “The fins 35, 36 and the like” include not only the fins 35,36, but also the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18. The same appliesto the following description.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shownin FIGS. 4A and 4B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. Whenthe positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in theguide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the coupling plate 51 ismoved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43maintained in the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52, 53.Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35, 36 are moved topositions below the fin pivots 41. The fins 35, 36 are parallel witheach other and all tilted to be lower toward the upstream end, so thatthe direction of the air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out inparallel streams, is changed from a horizontal direction to an upwarddirection.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the stateshown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the components operate, although notillustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when upwardforce is applied. The fins 35, 36 are parallel with each other and alltilted to be higher toward the upstream end, so that the direction ofthe air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, ischanged from a horizontal direction to a downward direction.

When force in one direction, for example, leftward force, is applied tothe operating member 61 in the state shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, theoperating member 61 and the pinion gear 62 integrally rotatecounterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 2. The rotation is transmitted to theguide plate 65 via the rack gear 75, which meshes with the pinion gear62. The position at which the rack gear 75 meshes with the pinion gear62 is changed so that the guide plate 65 is moved downstream as shown inFIGS. 6A and 6B. At this time, since the positions of the guide pins 22,21 in the three elongated holes 67, 73 are changed only in the flowingdirection, in which the elongated holes 67, 73 extend, the downstreammovement of the guide plate 65 is guided.

The movement of the guide plate 65 is transmitted to the coupling plate51 via the two guide projections 69 and the guide holes 55, so that thecoupling plate 51 is moved downstream together with the guide plate 65.Accordingly, the cam grooves 52, 53 are moved downstream. The couplingpins 43 are moved in the cam grooves 52, 53 from the parallel blow zonesZ1 to the diffusion blow zones Z2 (see FIG. 3) on the upstream side.

As described above, when the coupling pins 43 are moved to the diffusionblow zones Z2, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 are tiltedsuch that spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than thoseat the downstream end. In the first embodiment, the center fin 35 ismaintained to be horizontal (the position parallel with the upper wall17 and the lower wall 18). The upper fin 36 is tilted to be lower towardthe upstream end, and the lower fin 36 is tilted to be higher toward theupstream end.

The two cam grooves 53, which are adjacent to the center cam groove 52,are symmetrical with respect to the center cam groove 52. Thus, the twofins 36, which are adjacent to the center fin 35, are tilted in mutuallyopposite directions.

The air-conditioning air A1 is blown out in the diffusion blow mode byflowing along the fins 35, 36 and the like through the spaces betweenthe adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like. The blown out air-conditioningair A1 is diffused to reach a wider range toward the downstream end. Aweaker flow of the air-conditioning air A1 is blown onto a wider area ofthe body of an occupant than in a case in which the parallel blow modeis selected.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shownin FIGS. 6A and 6B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. Whenthe positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in theguide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the coupling plate 51 ismoved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43maintained in the diffusion blow zones Z2 (refer to FIG. 3) in the camgrooves 52, 53. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35, 36 aremoved downward. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintainingthe state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end arenarrower than those at the downstream end. The direction of the diffusedair-conditioning air A1 is shifted to an upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the stateshown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the components operate, although notillustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when upwardforce is applied. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintainingthe state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end arenarrower than those at the downstream end. The direction of the diffusedair-conditioning air A1 is shifted to a downward direction.

In contrast, when rightward force, which is in the direction opposite tothe above example, is applied to the operating member 61 in the stateshown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, the operating member 61 and the pinion gear 62integrally rotate clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2. The rotation istransmitted to the guide plate 65 via the rack gear 75, so that theguide plate 65 is moved upstream as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

The movement of the guide plate 65 is transmitted to the coupling plate51 via the two guide projections 69 and the guide holes 55, so that thecoupling plate 51 is moved upstream together with the guide plate 65.Accordingly, the cam grooves 52, 53 are moved upstream, so that thecoupling pins 43 are moved in the cam grooves 52, 53 from the parallelblow zones Z1 to the concentration blow zones Z3 (see FIG. 3) on thedownstream side.

As described above, when the coupling pins 43 are moved to theconcentration blow zones Z3, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36are tilted such that spaces in between at the upstream end are widerthan those at the downstream end. At this time, since the cam grooves53, which are above and below the center cam groove 52, are symmetricalwith respect to the center cam groove 52, the two fins 36 are tilted inmutually opposite directions. In the first embodiment, the center fin 35is maintained at the horizontal position. The upper fin 36 is tilted tobe higher toward the upstream end, and the lower fin 36 is tilted to belower toward the upstream end.

The air-conditioning air A1 is blown out in the concentration blow modeby flowing along the fins 35, 36 and the like through the spaces betweenthe adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like. The blown out air-conditioningair A1 is converged to reach a narrower range toward the downstream end.A stronger flow of the air-conditioning air A1 is blown onto a narrowerarea of the body of an occupant than in a case in which the parallelblow mode is selected.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shownin FIGS. 8A and 8B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. Whenthe positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in theguide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the coupling plate 51 ismoved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43maintained in the concentration blow zones Z3 in the cam grooves 52, 53.Accordingly, the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associatedwith the respective fins 35, 36, are moved downward. The adjacent fins35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces inbetween at the upstream end are wider than those at the downstream end.The direction of the converged air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to anupward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the stateshown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the components operate, although notillustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when upwardforce is applied. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintainingthe state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are widerthan those at the downstream end. The direction of the convergedair-conditioning air A1 is shifted to a downward direction.

The first embodiment as described above achieves the followingadvantages.

(1) The air-conditioning register includes the retainer 10, the multiple(three) fins 35, 36, the coupling plate 51, and the drive mechanism DM.The coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with therespective fins 35, 36, are engaged with the cam grooves 52, 53 of thecoupling plate 51, so that all the fins 35, 36 are coupled to thecoupling plate 51 (FIG. 1). Each of the cam grooves 52, 53 has aparallel blow zone Z1, a diffusion blow zone Z2, and a concentrationblow zone Z3 (FIG. 3). The drive mechanism DM includes the allowingportion (FIGS. 4A and 4B). When the operation knob 45 is operated totilt the fins 35, 36 about the fin pivots 41, the allowing portionallows the coupling plate 51 to move in the up-down direction, which isthe arrangement direction of the fins 35, 36, while maintaining thecoupling pins 43 in the current zones in the cam grooves 52, 53.

Thus, the air-conditioning air A1 is allowed to be blown out in any ofthe parallel blow mode, the diffusion blow mode, and the concentrationblow mode. The direction of the air-conditioning air A1 can be changedin any of the blow modes.

(2) The center cam groove 52 in the arrangement direction extendslinearly in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. Thetwo cam grooves 53, which are adjacent to and located on the oppositesides of the center cam groove 52 are symmetrical with respect to thecenter cam groove 52 (FIG. 3).

Thus, the two fins 36, which are adjacent to and located on the oppositesides of the center fin 35 in the arrangement direction, can be tiltedin mutually opposite directions.

As a result, when the coupling pins 43 are located in the parallel blowzones Z1, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 can be arranged tobe parallel with each other (FIGS. 4A and 4B). When the coupling pins 43are located in the diffusion blow zones Z2, the spaces between thecenter fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 at the upstream end can be madenarrower than those at the downstream end (FIGS. 6A and 6B). When thecoupling pins 43 are located in the concentration blow zones Z3, thespaces between the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 at theupstream end can be made wider than those at the downstream end (FIGS.8A and 8B).

(3) The parallel blow zones Z1 are middle sections of the cam grooves52, 53 with respect to the flowing direction. The diffusion blow zonesZ2 are located on the upstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1 in thecam grooves 52, 53, and the concentration blow zones Z3 are located onthe downstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52,53 (FIG. 3).

Thus, the positions of the coupling pins 43 in the respective camgrooves 52, 53 can be set in any of the diffusion blow zones Z2, theparallel blow zones Z1, and the concentration blow zones Z3 by movingthe coupling plate 51 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioningair A1. The blow mode can be set to or switched among the diffusion blowmode, the parallel blow mode, and the concentration blow mode.

(4) The drive mechanism DM is laid on the coupling plate 51 and includesthe guide plate 65, which is moved in the flowing direction of theair-conditioning air A1 in response to rotation of the operating member61. The coupling plate 51 has the guide holes 55, which extend in thearrangement direction of the fins 35, 36 (the up-down direction), andeach guide projection 69 on the guide plate 65 is engaged with thecorresponding guide hole 55. The guide holes 55 and the guideprojections 69 constitute the allowing portion (FIGS. 1 and 3).

Thus, when the operating member 61 is rotated, the guide plate 65 andthe coupling plate 51 are moved in the flowing direction to tilt thefins 35, 36, so that the blow mode is switched.

When operation is executed to tilt the fins 35, 36 about the fin pivots41 via the operation knob 45, the vertical positions of the guideprojections 69 in the guide holes 55 can be changed. This allows thecoupling plate 51 to be moved in the up-down direction relative to theguide plate 65, while maintaining the positions of the coupling pins 43in the current zones in the cam grooves 52, 53, so that the advantage(1) is achieved.

(5) The operating member 61 is rotationally supported by the shaftportion 19 of the retainer 10. The guide plate 65 has the rack gear 75.The pinion gear 62 is arranged between the operating member 61 and theguide plate 65 (FIG. 2). The pinion gear 62 meshes with the rack gear 75and is rotated by rotation of the operating member 61.

Accordingly, rotation of the operating member 61 can be converted intolinear motion and transmitted to the guide plate 65, so that the guideplate 65 can be moved in the flowing direction of the air-conditioningair A1.

Rotation of the operating member 61 allows the position of the guideplate 65 in the flowing direction to be finely adjusted, so that theinclinations of the fins 35, 36 are finely adjusted.

Second Embodiment

Next, an air-conditioning register according to a second embodiment willbe described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 20B. The air-conditioningregister of the second embodiment is designed to be actually installedand used in a vehicle. Unlike the first embodiment, the secondembodiment is designed to include components and mechanisms that are notdirectly related to the characteristic features of the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, a retainer body 11 of the second embodimentis constituted by two components (an upstream retainer 12 and adownstream retainer 13), which are arranged in the direction of the flowof the air-conditioning air A1. The downstream retainer 13 is coupled toeach of the upstream retainer 12 and the bezel 25.

As shown in FIG. 13, the downstream retainer body 13 has three sets ofbearing portions 31 between the bezel 25 and each of the left and rightside walls 15, 16. The bearing portions 31 in each of the side walls 15,16 are spaced apart in the up-down direction. The fin pivots 41, whichare respectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are supported by theside walls 15, 16 via the bearing portions 31.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, an operation knob 45 is fitted to thecenter fin 35 to be slidable in the left-right direction (the vehiclewidth direction). The operation knob 45 is operated by an occupant tochange the direction of the air-conditioning air A1 blown out from theoutlet 26. The operation knob 45 is allowed to tilt, together with thecenter fin 35, about the fin pivots 41 in the direction along the shortsides 27 of the outlet 26 (the up-down direction). Also, the operationknob 45 is allowed to slide on the fin 35 to be displaced in theleft-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The operation knob45 has a bifurcated fork portion 46, which extends upstream. The forkportion 46 is configured to transmit movement (sliding motion) of theoperation knob 45 in the left-right direction (the vehicle widthdirection) to an upstream fin 86, which will be discussed below.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18have bearing portions 32, which are located between the upstreamretainer 12 and the downstream retainer 13 and substantially equallyspaced apart in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction).Multiple upstream fins are arranged in the airflow passage 14 atpositions upstream of the fins 35, 36. The upstream fins aresubstantially parallel with each other and substantially equally spacedapart in the left-right direction. The upstream fins are configured tochange an angle β between the air-conditioning air A1 discharged fromthe outlet 26 and the long side portions 28.

To distinguish the multiple upstream fins, the one located at the centerin the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) will bereferred to as an upstream fin 86, and the other upstream fins will bereferred to as upstream fins 87.

The upstream fins 86, 87 include fin pivots 88, which extend in theup-down direction. The upstream fins 86, 87 are tiltably supported bythe upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 with the bearing portions 32 atthe fin pivots 88. Each of the upstream fins 86, 87 has a pin 89 at aposition displaced upstream from the upper fin pivots 41. The pins 89,which are respectively associated with the upstream fins 86, 87, arecoupled together by an elongated coupling rod 91, which extends in theleft-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The upstream fins86, 87, the fin pivots 88, the pins 89, and the coupling rod 91constitute a parallel link mechanism, which allows the upstream fins 87to be tilted in synchronization with the center upstream fin 86.

Unlike the upstream fins 87, the upstream fin 86 has a transmissionshaft 92 at the downstream end. The transmission shaft 92 extends in theup-down direction and is held by the fork portion 46 of the operationknob 45. Thus, when the operation knob 45 is slid in the left-rightdirection (the vehicle width direction) on the center fin 35, force inthe same direction is applied to the upstream fin 86 through the forkportion 46 and the transmission shaft 92, so that the upstream fin 86 istilted in the same direction about the fin pivots 88.

Each of the side walls 15, 16 of the upstream retainer 12 has a bearingportion 33. A shut-off damper 93 is arranged in the airflow passage 14at a position upstream of the upstream fins 86, 87. The shut-off damper93 has damper pivots 94, which extend in the left-right direction (thevehicle width direction). The shut-off damper 93 is tiltably supportedby the side walls 15, 16 with the bearing portions 33 at the damperpivots 94.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 14, the air-conditioning register includes adamper drive mechanism, which tilts the shut-off damper 93 toselectively open and close the airflow passage 14. The damper drivemechanism includes an operating member 95 and a rotation transmittingportion 96. The operating member 95 is rotationally supported by theleft side wall 15 of the retainer 10. The rotation transmitting portion96 is configured to transmit rotation of the operating member 95 to theshut-off damper 93 and is constituted by a link mechanism, a gearmechanism, and the like.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the cam grooves 52, 53 ofthe coupling plate 51 each have, in addition to the parallel blow zoneZ1, only the diffusion blow zone Z2 as a non-parallel blow zone. Theparallel blow zones Z1 are upstream sections of the cam grooves 52, 53in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The diffusionblow zones Z2 are set in the cam grooves 52, 53 on the downstream sideof the parallel blow zones Z1.

The coupling plate 51 has two guide projections 69 at two positionsspaced apart in the up-down direction. The guide projections 69 areslightly spaced apart toward the upstream end from all the cam grooves52, 53.

A guide plate 79 constitutes part of the drive mechanism DM. Unlike theguide plate 65 of the first embodiment, the guide plate 79 does not havethe horizontal guide plate portion 72. The guide plate 79 has two guideholes 55, which extend in the up-down direction and are spaced apart inthe up-down direction. The guide projections 69 of the coupling plate 51are engaged with the respective guide holes 55.

The second embodiment employs a drive mechanism DM that is differentfrom that of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, an operating member 63 is employed in placeof the operating member 61. The operating member 63 includes a knobportion 63 a and a shaft portion 63 b, which extends upstream from theknob portion 63 a. The operating member 63 is rotationally supported bythe bezel 25 at the shaft portion 63 b.

The following configuration is employed to transmit rotation of theoperating member 63 to the guide plate 79, thereby moving the guideplate 79 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1.

The right side wall 16 has, in its downstream section, support plateportions 76 at the upper and the lower end. The support plate portions76 project rightward. Each support plate portion 76 has a linear guidegroove 77, which is formed in the surface that faces the other supportplate portion 76. The guide groove 77 is located at a position close tothe side wall 16 and extends in the flowing direction of theair-conditioning air A1. Each of the upper and lower support plateportions 76 has a bearing portion 78 at a position displaced rightwardfrom the guide groove 77.

A guide plate 79 is arranged between the upper and lower support plateportions 76. The guide plate 79 has rack gears 81 at the upper and lowerends. Each rack gear 81 is formed by teeth arranged in the flowingdirection of the air-conditioning air A1. Each rack gear 81 has a guideprotrusion 82, which protrudes toward the corresponding support plateportion 76. Each guide protrusion 82 has an elongated shape extending inthe flowing direction and is engaged with the guide groove 77 of thecorresponding support plate portion 76 to be slidable in the flowingdirection.

A shaft 83, which extends in the up-down direction, is arranged betweenthe support plate portions 76. The upper and lower ends of the shaft 83are rotationally supported by the bearing portions 78. Pinion gears 84are provided at upper and lower end portions of the shaft 83 to rotateintegrally with the shaft 83. Each pinion gear 84 meshes with thecorresponding rack gear 81.

The operating member 63 and the shaft 83 are coupled to each other by abevel gear mechanism. The bevel gear mechanism is configured to transmitrotation of the shaft portion 63 b, which extends in a directionintersecting the shaft 83, to the shaft 83. The bevel gear mechanism isconstituted by the combination of a drive bevel gear 64, which isprovided at the upstream end of the shaft portion 63 b of the operatingmember 63, and a driven bevel gear 85, which is provided between thepinion gears 84 of the shaft 83 and meshes with the bevel gear 64.

As shown in FIG. 17, the upper wall 17 has a projection 23 that isdownstream of and adjacent to the bezel 25 and projects toward the lowerwall 18. The lower wall 18 has a projection 23 that is downstream of andadjacent to the bezel 25 and projects toward the upper wall 17. Theprojections 23 sandwich the fins 35, 36 from the opposite sides in thearrangement direction (the up-down direction). Each projection 23 has anupstream inclined portion 23 a and a downstream inclined portion 23 b.Each upstream inclined portion 23 a constitutes an upstream part of thecorresponding projection 23. The upstream inclined portions 23 a areinclined in the upper and lower walls 17 and 18 relative to the partsupstream of the projections 23 such that the space between theprojections 23 decreases toward the downstream end. Each downstreaminclined portion 23 b constitutes a downstream part of the correspondingprojection 23. The downstream inclined portions 23 b are inclined in theupper and lower walls 17 and 18 relative to the parts upstream of theprojections 23 such that the space between the projections 23 increasestoward the downstream end.

Other than these differences, the second embodiment is the same as thefirst embodiment. Thus, like or the same reference numerals are given tothose components that are like or the same as the correspondingcomponents described above in the first embodiment and detailedexplanations are omitted.

Operation of the second embodiment, which is configured as describedabove, will now be described.

FIGS. 15 and 17 illustrate the state of each component when theoperating member 63 is located at one end in the pivoting range (movablerange). At this time, the coupling pins 43, which are respectivelyassociated with the fins 35, 36, are located in the parallel blow zonesZ1 (see FIG. 16), which are set in the upstream sections in the camgrooves 52, 53.

In the fins 35, 36, each coupling pin 43 is located at the same heightas the corresponding fin pivot 41. The center fin 35 and the adjacentfins 36 are parallel with parts of the upper wall 17 and the lower wall18 at which the projections 23 are not provided. The upper and lowerguide projections 69 are each located substantially at the center in theup-down direction of the corresponding guide hole 55.

Thus, the air-conditioning air A1 that has flowed into the retainer 10and passed through the shut-off damper 93 and the upstream fins 86, 87flows through spaces between the adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like inparallel streams along the fins 35, 36 and the like and is blown outfrom the outlet 26 in the parallel blow mode.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shownin FIGS. 15 and 17, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. Whenthe positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted downward in theguide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the coupling plate 51 ismoved downward relative to the guide plate 79 with the coupling pins 43maintained in the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52, 53.Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35, 36 are moved topositions below the fin pivots 41. The fins 35, 36 are parallel witheach other and all tilted to be lower toward the upstream end, so thatthe direction of the air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out inparallel streams, is changed from a horizontal direction to an upwarddirection.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the stateshown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the components operate, although notillustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when upwardforce is applied. The fins 35, 36 are parallel with each other and alltilted to be higher toward the upstream end, so that the direction ofthe air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, ischanged from a horizontal direction to a downward direction.

When clockwise force is applied to the knob portion 63 a of theoperating member 63 in the state shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the operatingmember 63 rotates in the same direction as and integrally with the drivebevel gear 64. The rotation is transmitted to the guide plate 79 via thedriven bevel gear 85, the shaft 83, the pinion gears 84, and the rackgears 81. The position at which the rack gear 81 meshes with the piniongear 84 is changed so that the guide plate 79 is moved upstream as shownin FIGS. 19A and 19B.

The movement of the guide plate 79 is transmitted to the coupling plate51 via the two guide projections 69 and the guide holes 55, so that thecoupling plate 51 is moved upstream together with the guide plate 79.Accordingly, the cam grooves 52, 53 are moved upstream. The couplingpins 43 are moved in the cam grooves 52, 53 from the parallel blow zonesZ1 to the diffusion blow zones Z2 (see FIG. 16) on the downstream side.

As described above, when the coupling pins 43 are moved to the diffusionblow zones Z2, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 are tiltedsuch that spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than thoseat the downstream end.

The two cam grooves 53, which are adjacent to and located on theopposite sides of the center cam groove 52 are symmetrical with respectto the center cam groove 52. Thus, the two fins 36 are tilted inmutually opposite directions.

The air-conditioning air A1 is blown out in the diffusion blow mode byflowing along the fins 35, 36 and the like through the spaces betweenthe adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like. The blown out air-conditioningair A1 is diffused to reach a wider range toward the downstream end. Aweaker flow of the air-conditioning air A1 is blown onto a wider area ofthe body of an occupant than in a case in which the parallel blow modeis selected.

At this time, the fins 36, which are on the ends in the arrangementdirection, are tilted such that the space in between at the downstreamend is wider than that at the upstream end.

Also, the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 each have the projection23, and the projections 23 have the downstream inclined portions 23 bsuch that the space between the projections 23 increases toward thedownstream end. Each downstream inclined portion 23 b is inclined in thesame direction as the corresponding one of the fins 36 at the ends inthe arrangement direction. Like the fins 36, the downstream inclinedportions 23 b have a function of diffusing the air-conditioning air A1.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the stateshown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, upward force is applied to the couplingplate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward inthe guide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the coupling plate 51is moved upward relative to the guide plate 79 with the coupling pins 43maintained in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52, 53.Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35, 36 are moved upward.The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in whichthe spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at thedownstream end. The direction of the diffused air-conditioning air A1 isshifted to a downward direction.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shownin FIGS. 19A and 19B, the components operate, although not illustrated,in directions opposite to those in the case when downward force isapplied. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the statein which the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower thanthose at the downstream end. The direction of the diffusedair-conditioning air A1 is shifted to an upward direction.

Thus, the second embodiment achieves the same advantages as the abovedescribed advantages (1) and (2). However, regarding the advantage (1)of the second embodiment, only the diffusion blow mode can be set as thenon-parallel blow mode and change the direction of the air-conditioningair A1.

The second embodiment achieves the following advantages (3a), (4a), and(5a) in place of the above described advantages (3), (4), and (5). Thesecond embodiment also achieves the advantage (6) discussed below.

(3a) The cam grooves 52, 53 have the parallel blow zones Z1 in theupstream sections with respect to the flowing direction of theair-conditioning air A1 and the diffusion blow zones Z2 at positionsdownstream of the parallel blow zones Z1 (FIG. 16).

Thus, the positions of the coupling pins 43 in the respective camgrooves 52, 53 can be set in any of the diffusion blow zones Z2 and theparallel blow zones Z1 by moving the coupling plate 51 in the flowingdirection of the air-conditioning air A1. The blow mode can be set to orswitched between the diffusion blow mode and the parallel blow mode.

(4a) The guide plate 79 of the drive mechanism DM has the guide holes55, which extend in the arrangement direction of the fins 35, 36 (theup-down direction), and each guide projection 69 on the coupling plate51 is engaged with the corresponding guide hole 55 (FIG. 16).

Thus, when the operating member 63 is rotated, the guide plate 79 andthe coupling plate 51 are moved in the flowing direction of theair-conditioning air A1 to tilt the fins 35, 36, so that the blow modecan be switched between the parallel blow mode and the diffusion blowmode.

When operation is executed to tilt the fins 35, 36 about the fin pivots41 via the operation knob 45, the positions of the guide projections 69in the guide holes 55 can be changed. This allows the coupling plate 51to be moved in the up-down direction relative to the guide plate 79,while maintaining the positions of the coupling pins 43 in the currentzones in the cam grooves 52, 53, so that the advantage (1) is achieved.

(5a) The operating member 63 is rotationally supported by the retainer10 (the bezel 25). The guide plate 79 has a rack gear 81 at each of theupper and lower ends. The shaft 83, which extends in the up-downdirection and is rotationally supported, has pinion gears 84 that meshwith the rack gears 81. The shaft portion 63 b of the operating member63 and the shaft 83 are coupled to each other by the bevel gearmechanism (FIGS. 11 and 13).

Accordingly, rotation of the operating member 63 can be converted intolinear motion and transmitted to the guide plate 79, so that the guideplate 79 can be moved in the flowing direction of the air-conditioningair A1.

Also, rotation of the operating member 63 allows the position of theguide plate 79 in the flowing direction to be finely adjusted, so thatthe inclinations of the fins 35, 36 are finely adjusted.

(6) The upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 of the retainer 10 have theprojections 23, which face each other, in the downstream sections. Theprojections 23 have the upstream inclined portions 23 a, the spacebetween which decreases toward the downstream end, and the downstreaminclined portions 23 b, which are located on the downstream side of theupstream inclined portions 23 a. The space between the downstreaminclined portions 23 b increases toward the downstream end (FIGS. 19A,19B).

Thus, when the coupling pins 43 are in the diffusion blow zones Z2 inthe cam grooves 52, 53 to tilt the adjacent fins 35, 36 such that thespaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at thedownstream end, the downstream inclined portions 23 b are allowed tofunction to diffuse the air-conditioning air A1 like the fins 36 on theopposite ends in the arrangement direction. Diffusion of theair-conditioning air A1 is more promoted than in the configurationwithout the downstream inclined portions 23 b.

Third Embodiment

An air-conditioning register according to a third embodiment will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 21 to 29B focusing on differences fromthe first and second embodiments.

Major differences of the third embodiment from the first and secondembodiments include that, as shown in FIG. 21, the bezel 25 is inclinedsuch that the higher a position, the closer the position is to theupstream end in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1,and that, as shown in FIG. 24B, five fins are provided. Among the fivefins, the one at the center in the arrangement direction is set as areference. The number of the fins is increased from three to five byadding two fins 37 on the opposite sides in the arrangement direction ofthe three fins 35, 36 of the first and second embodiments. The addedfins 37 have the same structure as the fins 35, 36. That is, the addedfins 37 each have fin pivots 41 in the downstream section, an arm 42extending upstream from the fin pivot 41, and a coupling pin 43 at theupstream end of the arm 42.

Since the bezel 25 is inclined, the five fins 35 to 37 are arranged suchthat the closer a fin 35 to 37 is to the upper end, the closer the fin35 to 37 is to the upstream end. The shapes of the coupling plate 51 andthe guide plate 65 are different from those of the previous embodiments.The coupling plate 51 has one guide hole 55 instead of two.

As shown in FIG. 23, the coupling plate 51 has five cam grooves, thenumber of which is the same as the number of the fins 35 to 37. Thecenter cam groove 52 in the arrangement direction extends linearly inthe flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. Two cam grooves 53are adjacent to and above and below the center cam groove 52. The camgrooves 53 have shapes in a converse relationship on the opposite sidesof the center cam groove 52. The two cam grooves 54, which are at theopposite ends in the arrangement direction, are located on the oppositesides of the center cam groove 52 and have shapes in a converserelationship. The “converse relationship” refers to a relationship inwhich, if one of the two cam grooves 53 is inclined relative to thecenter cam groove 52, the other cam groove 53 is inclined in theopposite direction relative to the center cam groove 52.

In the third embodiment, the cam grooves 52 to 54 of the coupling plate51 each have, in addition to the parallel blow zone Z1, only thediffusion blow zone Z2 as a non-parallel blow zone as in the secondembodiment. The parallel blow zones Z1 are upstream sections of the camgrooves 52 to 54 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning airA1. The diffusion blow zones Z2 are set in the cam grooves 52 to 54 onthe downstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the third embodiment is the same as thefirst embodiment in that the operating member 61 is rotationallysupported by the lower wall 18 of the retainer 10, that the horizontalguide plate portion 72 of the guide plate 65 has the rack gear 75, thatthe pinion gear 62 is formed to be coaxial with the operating member 61,and that the pinion gear 62 meshes with the rack gear 75.

Operation of the third embodiment, which is configured as describedabove, will now be described.

FIGS. 21, 24A, and 24B illustrate the state of each component when theoperating member 61 is located at one end in the movable range. At thistime, the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with thefins 35 to 37, are located in the parallel blow zones Z1 (see FIG. 23),which are set in the upstream sections in the cam grooves 52 to 54.

The fins 35 to 37 are tiltable about the fin pivots 41. The inclinationof the fin 35, which is at the center in the arrangement direction, isdetermined by the position of the coupling pin 43 in the straight centercam groove 52. The inclination of each of the two fins 36 is determinedby the position of the coupling pin 43 in the corresponding cam groove53. The inclination of each of the two fins 37 is determined by theposition of the coupling pin 43 in the corresponding cam groove 54.

In the fins 35 to 37, each coupling pin 43 is located at a positionslightly lower than the corresponding fin pivot 41. All the fins 35 to37 are parallel with each other and are tilted to be higher toward thedownstream end.

The upper and lower guide projections 69 are each located at the middlesection in the up-down direction in the guide hole 55. Also, each of theguide pins 21, 22 is located in the upstream section in the flowingdirection of the corresponding one of the elongated holes 67, 73.

Thus, the air-conditioning air A1 that has flowed into the retainer 10flows through spaces between the adjacent fins 35 to 37 and the like inparallel streams along the fins 35 to 37 and the like and is blown outfrom the outlet 26 in the parallel blow mode.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob (not shown) of thecenter fin 35 in the state shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, downward force isapplied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the centerfin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guideprojections 69 are shifted upward in the guide hole 55 as shown in FIGS.25A and 25B, the coupling plate 51 is moved downward relative to theguide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the parallel blowzones Z1 (refer to FIG. 23) in the cam grooves 52 to 54. Accordingly,the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35 to 37 are moved to positions belowthe fin pivots 41. The fins 35 to 37 are parallel with each other andall tilted to be lower toward the upstream end, so that the direction ofthe air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, ischanged to a further upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob in the state shownin FIGS. 24A and 24B, upward force is applied to the coupling plate 51via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. Whenthe positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted downward in theguide hole 55 as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, the coupling plate 51 ismoved upward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43maintained in the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52 to 54.Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35 to 37 are moved topositions slightly higher than the fin pivots 41. The fins 35 to 37 areparallel with each other and all tilted to be slightly higher toward theupstream end, so that the direction of the air-conditioning air A1,which is blown out in parallel streams, is changed from a slightlyupward direction to a slightly downward direction.

When rightward force is applied to the operating member 61 in the stateshown in FIGS. 24A, 24B, the operating member 61 and the pinion gear 62integrally rotate clockwise as viewed in FIG. 22. The rotation istransmitted to the guide plate 65 via the rack gear 75. The position atwhich the rack gear 75 meshes with the pinion gear 62 is changed so thatthe guide plate 65 is moved upstream as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B. Atthis time, since the positions of the guide pins 22, 21 in the threeelongated holes 67, 73 are changed only in the flowing direction, inwhich the elongated holes 67, 73 extend, the upstream movement of theguide plate 65 is guided.

The upstream movement of the guide plate 65 is transmitted to thecoupling plate 51 via the two guide projections 69 and the guide hole55, so that the coupling plate 51 is moved upstream together with theguide plate 65. Accordingly, the cam grooves 52 to 54 are movedupstream. The coupling pins 43 are moved in the cam grooves 52 to 54from the parallel blow zones Z1 to the diffusion blow zones Z2 (see FIG.23) on the downstream side.

As described above, when the coupling pins 43 are moved to the diffusionblow zones Z2, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 are tiltedsuch that spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than thoseat the downstream end. The lower fin 36 and the fin 37 below the lowerfin 36 are tilted such that the space in between at the upstream end isnarrower than those at the downstream end.

The cam grooves 53 on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52have shapes in a converse relationship on the opposite sides of thecenter cam groove 52. Thus, the fins 36, which are adjacent to and onthe opposite sides of the center fin 35, are tilted in mutually oppositedirections. The cam grooves 54, which are at the opposite ends in thearrangement direction, have shapes in a converse relationship on theopposite sides of the center cam groove 52. Thus, the fins 37, which areat the opposite ends in the arrangement direction, are tilted inmutually opposite directions.

The air-conditioning air A1 is blown out in the diffusion blow mode byflowing along the fins 35 to 37 through the spaces between the adjacentfins 35, 36 and between the adjacent fins 36, 37 and the like. The blownout air-conditioning air A1 is diffused to reach a wider range towardthe downstream end. A weaker flow of the air-conditioning air A1 isblown onto a wider area of the body of an occupant than in a case inwhich the parallel blow mode is selected.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob in the state shown inFIGS. 27A and 27B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. Whenthe positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in theguide hole 55 as shown in FIGS. 28A and 28B, the coupling plate 51 ismoved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43maintained in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52 to 54.Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35 to 37 are moveddownward. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining thestate in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrowerthan those at the downstream end. The lower fin 36 and the fin 37 belowthe lower fin 36 act in the same manner. The direction of the diffusedair-conditioning air A1 is shifted to a further upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob in the state shownin FIGS. 27A and 27B, upward force is applied to the coupling plate 51via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. Whenthe positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted downward in theguide hole 55 as shown in FIGS. 29A and 29B, the coupling plate 51 ismoved upward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43maintained in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52 to 54.Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35 to 37 are moved upward.The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in whichthe spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at thedownstream end. The lower fin 36 and the fin 37 below the lower fin 36act in the same manner. The direction of the diffused air-conditioningair A1 is shifted to a downward direction.

Thus, the third embodiment achieves the same advantages as the abovedescribed advantages (1), (3a), (4), and (5). However, as in the secondembodiment, regarding the advantages (1) and (4) of the thirdembodiment, only the diffusion blow mode can be set as the non-parallelblow mode to change the direction of the air-conditioning air A1.

The third embodiment achieves the following advantage (2a) in place ofthe above described advantage (2).

(2a) The center cam groove 52 in the arrangement direction extendslinearly in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. Thetwo cam grooves 53 are adjacent to and on the opposite sides of thecenter cam groove 52. The cam grooves 53 have shapes in a converserelationship on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52. Further,the cam grooves 54, which are at the opposite ends in the arrangementdirection, have shapes in a converse relationship on the opposite sidesof the center cam groove 52 (FIG. 23).

Thus, the two fins 36, which are adjacent to and located on the oppositesides of the center fin 35 in the arrangement direction, can be tiltedin mutually opposite directions. Also, the fins 37, which are on theopposite ends in the arrangement direction, can be tilted in mutuallyopposite directions.

As a result, when the coupling pins 43, which are respectivelyassociated with the fins 35 to 37, are located in the parallel blowzones Z1, all the fins 35 to 37 can be arranged to be parallel with eachother. Also, when the coupling pins 43, which are respectivelyassociated with the fins 35 to 37, are located in the diffusion blowzones Z2, the spaces between the fins 35 to 37 at the upstream end canbe set narrower than those at the downstream end.

The above embodiments may be modified as follows.

The cam grooves 52 to 54 in the first to third embodiments do notnecessarily need to extend through the coupling plate 51 in thethickness direction (may have bottoms).

The guide holes 55 in the first and third embodiments do not necessarilyneed to extend through the coupling plate 51 in the thickness direction(may have bottoms).

The guide holes 55 in the second embodiment do not necessarily need toextend through the guide plate 79 in the thickness direction (may havebottoms).

The elongated holes 67 in the first and third embodiments do notnecessarily need to extend through the vertical guide plate portion 66in the thickness direction (may have a bottom). Likewise, the elongatedholes 73 do not necessarily need to extend through the horizontal guideplate portion 72 in the thickness direction (may have a bottom).

The shapes of the cam grooves 52 to 54 may be modified such that onlyconcentration blow zones Z3 are set in the cam grooves 52 to 54 asnon-parallel blow zones.

In the first embodiment, the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 mayeach have a projection 23, which is formed by an upstream inclinedportion 23 a and a downstream inclined portion 23 b as in the secondembodiment.

In this case, when the coupling pins 43, which are respectivelyassociated with the fins 35, 36, are located in the concentration blowzones Z3 in the cam grooves 52, 53, the adjacent fins 35, 36 are tiltedsuch that the spaces in between at the upstream end are wider than thoseat the downstream end.

The fins 36, which are on the ends in the arrangement direction, aretilted such that the spaces in between at the downstream end arenarrower than those at the upstream end.

On the other hand, the projections 23 respectively have the upstreaminclined portions 23 a, the space between which decreases toward thedownstream end. Each upstream inclined portion 23 a is inclined in thesame direction as the corresponding one of the fins 36 at the ends inthe arrangement direction. Like the fins 36, the upstream inclinedportions 23 a have a function of causing the air-conditioning air A1 toconverge. Thus, compared to a configuration without the upstreaminclined portions 23 a, convergence of the air-conditioning air A1 ispromoted.

In contrast, when the coupling pins 43 of the respective fins 35, 36 arelocated in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52, 53, theadjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted such that the spaces in between at theupstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end, as in thesecond embodiment.

The fins 36, which are on the ends in the arrangement direction, aretilted such that the spaces in between at the downstream end are widerthan those at the upstream end.

On the other hand, the projections 23 respectively have the downstreaminclined portions 23 b, the space between which increases toward thedownstream end. Each downstream inclined portion 23 b is inclined in thesame direction as the corresponding one of the fins 36 at the ends inthe arrangement direction. Like the fins 36, the downstream inclinedportions 23 b have a function of diffusing the air-conditioning air A1.Thus, compared to a configuration without the downstream inclinedportions 23 b, diffusion of the air-conditioning air A1 is promoted.

Since the diffusion and convergence of the air-conditioning air A1 arepromoted, the number of the fins can be reduced. Also, the space betweenthe upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 can be reduced to make theretainer 10 low-profile.

The air-conditioning register may include an even number of fins.

The air-conditioning register may be provided at a position in thepassenger compartment other than the instrument panel.

As long as the above-described air-conditioning register uses fins tochange the direction of the air-conditioning air A1 blown out into thepassenger compartment from the air conditioner, the air-conditioningregister may be employed in a wide range of apparatuses other thanvehicles.

The outlet 26 of the above-described air-conditioning register may bearranged to be elongated in the vertical direction. In this case, thefins 35 to 37 extend in the up-down direction and are arranged in theleft-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The upstream fins86, 87 extend in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction)and are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the up-downdirection.

1. An air-conditioning register comprising: a retainer in which anairflow passage is provided, wherein the airflow passage has an outletat a downstream end in a flowing direction of air-conditioning air; aplurality of fins that is arranged in the airflow passage and tiltablysupported by the retainer with fin pivots, wherein each fin has acoupling pin at a position displaced from the fin pivot; a couplingplate, which couples the fins together at the coupling pins; and a drivemechanism, which changes a position of the coupling plate in the flowingdirection, wherein the coupling pins, which are respectively associatedwith the fins, are engaged with cam grooves provided in the couplingplate, so that all the fins are coupled to the coupling plate, each camgroove includes a parallel blow zone, in which adjacent fins arearranged to be parallel with each other, and at least one non-parallelblow zone, in which adjacent fins are in at least one of a state inwhich a space in between is narrower at an upstream end than at adownstream end and a state in which the space is wider at the upstreamend than at the downstream end, and the drive mechanism includes anallowing portion, wherein, when operation is executed to tilt the finsabout the fin pivots, the allowing portion allows the coupling plate tomove in an arrangement direction of the fins, while maintaining thecoupling pins in the current zones in the cam grooves.
 2. Theair-conditioning register according to claim 1, wherein an odd number ofthe cam grooves are arranged, a center cam groove in the arrangementdirection extends linearly in the flowing direction, and two cam groovesthat are adjacent to and on opposite sides of the center cam groove inthe arrangement direction are symmetrical with respect to the center camgroove.
 3. The air-conditioning register according to claim 2, whereinthe non-parallel blow zone of each cam groove is one of two non-parallelblow zones, which are a diffusion blow zone, in which adjacent fins arearranged such that the space in between is narrower at the upstream endthan at the downstream end, and a concentration blow zone, in whichadjacent fins are arranged such that the space in between is wider atthe upstream end than at the downstream end, the center cam groove inthe arrangement direction and the cam grooves adjacent to and on theopposite sides of the center groove have the parallel blow zone at amiddle section in the flowing direction, the diffusion blow zone on anupstream side of the parallel blow zone, and the concentration blow zoneon a downstream side of the parallel blow zone.
 4. The air-conditioningregister according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism includes aguide plate, which is laid on the coupling plate and is moved in theflowing direction in response to operation of an operating member, andthe allowing portion includes a guide hole, which is provided in one ofthe coupling plate and the guide plate and extends in the arrangementdirection of the fins, and a guide projection, which is provided in theother one of the coupling plate and the guide plate and is engaged withthe guide hole.
 5. The air-conditioning register according to claim 4,wherein the operating member is rotationally supported by the retainer,the guide plate includes a rack gear, which has teeth arranged in theflowing direction, and a pinion gear is provided between the operatingmember and the guide plate, wherein the pinion gear is meshed with therack gear and rotated by rotation of the operating member.
 6. Theair-conditioning register according to claim 1, wherein the retainerincludes two opposed walls, which sandwich all the fins from oppositesides in the arrangement direction, each opposed wall has a projectionthat projects toward the other opposed wall, and each projection has anupstream inclined portion and a downstream inclined portion, which islocated on a downstream side of the upstream inclined portion, whereinthe upstream inclined portions are configured such that a space betweenthe projections decreases toward a downstream end, and the downstreaminclined portions are configured such that the space between theprojections increases toward the downstream end.